Notes on a Scorecard - June 25, 1990

Hollywood Park was the Great Race Place Sunday, the great race being the $1 million Gold Cup. . . .

“They got their money’s worth, didn’t they?” said trainer Wayne Lukas after his Criminal Type won a duel over Sunday Silence that lasted the length of the stretch and wasn’t decided until the final stride. . . .

Indeed, it was even worth the price of a losing $10 pari-mutuel ticket. . . .

You’ve heard of football players who have a nose for the end zone. Well, Criminal Type’s got one for the finish line. He has won his last three races by a head, a neck and a neck. . . .

Some of the credit belongs to Jose Santos, who is three for three aboard Criminal Type. The successor to Angel Cordero as the best rider in the East is a finisher. And soon we’ll find out just how good the rest of his game is because he plans to join the nation’s finest jockey colony here full time by November. . . .

Nicest sight of the weekend in Inglewood was Chris McCarron getting around on crutches, wearing a smile, shaking hands and receiving an award in the winner’s circle only three weeks after breaking both his legs. . . .

So the Detroit Tigers, who rank 13th in the American League in ERA and third in runs scored, are going to trade pitching to the Dodgers for hitting? . . .

The Angels were 13-22 when Dave Winfield was inserted into the starting lineup. Since then, they’re 24-12. . . .

Doug Rader on Winfield: “In a dark moment last week, Don Mattingly said what the Yankees miss most are guys with swagger. He meant Winfield and Rickey Henderson. It’s important to have somebody who shows that swagger.” . . .

Winfield ranks a close second to Wally Joyner on the applause meter when the starting lineup is introduced at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

Maybe Jim Abbott, who hasn’t won at home since last July, should stay in a hotel and take a bus to the park when he pitches at the Big A. . . .

Both local catchers, Lance Parrish and Mike Scioscia, belong in the All-Star game. . . .

If Scioscia still weren’t the best plate blocker in baseball, Eric Davis clearly would have scored Friday night in Cincinnati in the ninth inning and there would have been no argument. . . .

In the year of Cecil Fielder, the Detroit media notes Saturday night reported that the Tigers had gone two consecutive games without hitting a home run. . . .

Fielder’s posterior is to baseball what Steve Johnson’s is to basketball. . . .

Opponents are batting .174 against Nolan Ryan this year. . . .

Ex-Dodger Tim Leary of the Yankees is tied for the American League lead in complete games with five and is the undisputed leader in losses with 10. . . .

It’s hard to believe that Dave Stieb, long the ace of the Toronto Blue Jay staff, never has won more than 17 games. . . .

The home crowd inevitably will roar when an outfielder throws a strike to home plate, even if it’s from only 150 feet away. . . .

Guillen, not Smith, is now the best all-round shortstop named Ozzie. . . .

The question isn’t why the Atlanta Braves fired Russ Nixon, but why they ever hired him. . . .

Make mine Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon. . . .

It has been a bad month for Brazil, whose World Cup soccer team and Adilson Rodrigues both got knocked out in the second round. . . .

Larry Holmes is talking about fighting Michael Spinks. Sure, Larry. They could hold this one in a phone booth and still accommodate everybody. . . .

Wayne Lukas saddled one of the many fine two-year-olds in his stable in the fourth race, and Iroquois Park responded with an impressive victory in the 5 1/2-furlong race. He had to rally coming out of the difficult rail post position and won easily. . . .

Look-alikes: Hale Irwin and Dustin Hoffman. . . .

Thumbs up to the State Athletic Commission for adopting Jerry Nathanson’s suggestion that officials should try not to score rounds even. . . .

No round is exactly even. Somebody has to have an edge. What judges don’t do is take advantage of all the scoring variations that the 10-point system allows them. . . .

You think that there would have been at least one round from the Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier good enough to make NBC’s 15 greatest rounds special Saturday. . . .

The Denver Nuggets--who aren’t going to win anything for awhile--are better off with the third pick in the NBA draft than 30-year-old Fat Lever. . . .

From comedian Norm Crosby: “Mike Schuler is doing a great thing coming to the Clippers. I know it’s hard for him to give up the Crystal Cathedral.”